Sangma Lays Foundation for First Engineering College in Meghalaya

Engineering institutions today are not merely centres of knowledge and learning but are also centers of excellence, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul M Sangma said on Friday.

Laying the base for Shillong Government College of Engineering, the first Engineering College in Meghalaya, Dr Sangma said the government has always endeavored to connect with the dreams and aspirations of people of all walks of life and the government has initiated a number of initiatives to respond to the needs of the people the Engineering College being one of them. The chief minister said the establishment of the college in the state will prevent flight of capital and the youth will not need to go outside the state in pursuit of higher professional education. “Education can be a game changer and bring huge transformative changes and Shillong Government College of Engineering will bring a turnaround in Educational sector,” he said.

He also informed that the college will provide space for all Diploma students to have lateral entry into the college of Engineering.

Mr Sangma said with NEHU, NIT, IIM-Shillong and various other premiere institutes in the state Meghalaya is becoming a hub of educational pursuit. He added that these institutions not only provide access to quality professional courses but also attract students from other places to come and study in Meghalaya.

Public Works Department (Building) Minister M Ampareen Lyngdoh congratulated Shillong Polytechnic for the commendable efforts put in to ensure that Shillong has technocrats of that cadre that can contribute tremendously to so many aspects of technology. Ms Lyngdoh said future students aspiring in technical education in the lines of Engineering will not be delighted to have such opportunity in their own state.

She hoped the transition from a Polytechnic to an Engineering College will be smooth, healthy and fulfilling. Urging the aspiring engineering students to work hard to realize their goals, the Minister said the infrastructure of the Engineering College should be world class without compromising on the quality of work.

The college is funded under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). RUSA or the National Higher Education Mission is centrally sponsored, spearheaded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development with the collaboration of the state government.

The foremost aim of the mission is to develop the higher education in the country by ensuring access, equity and quality. The allocation of fund is norms, monitoring and performance driven.